2.1. The Most Common Ethical Theories

Topic 2 - Lesson 1

Ethical Relativism

It rejects absolutism and believes that each moral situation is unique and that no absolute universal truths apply.

individual difference

In ethical relativism, this is a factor that make each moral situation incomparable with others.

• cultural heritage

• religious affiliations

• social norms

• distinct individual differences

examples of individual differences:

relative character

what we desire and consider good vary from time to time, from one social group to another, even from one individual to another (“what may be morally right for you may not be morally right for the other”)

John Dewey

He said, “human beings should be judged in the context of complexities that characterize human life” (examine a situation as a particular case than as a general one)

context

In ethical relativism, *blank* determines the nature of moral action • an action is morally bad or good under certain circumstances or exceptional cases (“it depends”)

Ethical Absolutism

It is a belief that there should be fixed or rigid factors in evaluating actions. Fixed factors are universal, constant, and therefore unchanging reasons for judging an action.

Plato

Ethical relativism as ethical irrationalism (Who??)

Categorical imperatives

These are universal rules that determine what is the right thing to do.

Immanuel Kant

He believes that there are universal ethical truths that transcend time, space, culture, and other individual differences.

Ethical Egoism

It assumes that the sole motivation for making moral choices and doing things is the satisfaction of self-interest, or the promotion of one’s own good or advantage.

Theory of motivation

What predisposes us to act in certain way is determined by whether it is an object of aversion (what motivates you to avoid) or an object of desire (motivates you to pursue)

Thomas Hobbes

Theory of motivation (Who??)

Ethical Altruism

It states that each one of us has a sense of fairness that rouses us to rationalize our selfish actions.

Altruism

It is a moral responsibility.

self-centeredness

It is inconsistent with the idea of rational beings.

rational

Being *blank* means having a capacity to think and discern things with reason

human as social beings

The sense of being part of a collective. The rights, freedoms, and self-interests of each member must be taken into account